The Lion and the Snake
by jessicafauchelevent
Summary: What if Hermione and Draco were made Head Girl and Boy? What if they decided that they didn't hate each other as much as they thought? What if they found love in the place that they least expected? Bad summary, I know, but this is my first fanfic.
1. The Common Room

**Author's Note: This is my very first fanfiction. I absolutely adore the idea of Draco and Hermione as a couple, so I figured that I would try out writing my first fanficiton centred around them. Although this is a Dramione story, I will thrown in bits about Harry/Ginny. Also, this fanfic completely disregards the epilogue in Deathly Hallows (Seventeen Years Later). **

**Disclaimer: Anything your recognize does not belong to me, and I make no money off of this whatsoever. **

Chapter One: **Home Sweet Home**

"Home, sweet home," Hermione sighed as she laid eyes on her beautiful new common room. New, as in she was not staying in the Gryffindor common room anymore. Just before the beginning of Hermione's repetition of her seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hermione received a letter. The letter was addressed to 'Miss Hermione Granger,' and it was from Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. Inside of the envelope was a gold badge with "HG" engraved in elegant font across the centre, and "Hogwarts" across the bottom. This badge was accompanied by a piece of folded parchment congratulating Hermione on her new position as Head Girl.

Hermione began circling the room, taking each minor detail in with interest. The floor was beautiful marble and the colours were glistening emerald green and bright gold. _What a strange combination,_ Hermione thought. The heavy drapes covering the windows were a shocking scarlet with shining silver threading, and these were set against onyx black walls. However, the beautiful colours throughout the common room were not what astounded Hermione the most. Nor was it the gorgeous grand staircase in the centre of the common room. No, the most surprising attribute of the room that left Hermione completely gob smacked was the enormous flat screen television mounted on the wall beside the portrait hole. Hermione never thought that she would find something so…well, muggle in a school dedicated to teaching magic.

After tearing her attention away from the vast collection of DVD's framing the television on three sides, Hermione finished her tour of the first level of the head dormitory. After seeing the kitchen, which was complete with a fully-stocked refrigerator and a stove-and-oven set, Hermione made her way up the elegant black, gold, and silver staircase. At the top of the stairs, there were two doors. One door on the far right was purple (Hermione's favourite colour) with the Gryffindor lion on it, painted in gold. The other door that was on the far left was a deep, emerald green, matching the colour of the tiles on the floor downstairs. This door bore the Slytherin emblem, which was a silver snake.

"This must be the Head Boy's room," Hermione thought aloud. She hadn't even been told who the Head Boy was by McGonagall. Hermione had been so absorbed in her own thoughts about who the Head Boy could possible be that she didn't notice that there was now someone standing over shoulder. In fact, she hadn't even realized that someone else had entered the room. Hermione was only broken out of her reverie when she heard a familiar, drawling voice behind her.

"Well, well, Granger. I definitely did not suspect that my dorm mate would be an infuriating little bookworm like you."


	2. Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that you may recognize. I make no money off of this whatsoever.**

Chapter Two: **Confrontations**

Hermione spun around on the spot with her hand pressed over her heart in shock to face her archenemy. Draco Malfoy looked down at Hermione with his trademark smirk plastered across his pale face.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there with that confused look, or are you actually going to speak?" Hermione noted with vague interest that his hair was no longer slicked back in his uniform style. However, Draco was still dressed in his traditional black attire. "Granger! Are you even listening to me?" Draco snapped.

Hermione snapped back into reality and stuttered, "Err…um…well…good to see you, Malfoy."

"Yes, isn't it just lovely to find out that the person you have _resented_ with a bloody passion for eight years will be sharing a damned dormitory with you?" Draco said this with a sneer on his face and with hatred in his voice.

Suddenly, images of the past soared through Hermione's mind: Draco taunting Hermione with words like "mudblood" all throughout their first few years at Hogwarts. Hermione locking herself in a stall in the girl's lavatory with Moaning Myrtle crooning to herself above her. The last image was not only the most recent, but also the most painful. It was of Hermione shaking on the cold stone floor of the drawing room in Malfoy Manor. All Hermione could see was the face of Draco's aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange hovering over her as the older woman tortured Hermione with a glee-filled laugh. Hermione remembered screaming in agony as curse after curse was thrown at her. These thoughts consumed Hermione so much that she couldn't even think of a decent comeback to toss back at the platinum-haired young man in front of her.

"Sod off, Ferret," were the only words she could think to say while Draco looked down at her with an expression that seemed to be a mixture of anger and…concern?

"Gra…" Draco's words were cut off when Hermione suddenly fled to her room with tears flooding her eyes. Draco stared after her as she slammed the purple door behind her. Sighing, he ventured downstairs to have a thorough look through the first floor.

Shockingly enough, Hermione and Draco were in agreement with one thing. However, this was only the wacky colours decorating the lower level of the Heads' dormitory. It took Draco a few minutes to realize that the decorations were a combination of the Slytherin and Gryffindor house colours. There was one major difference, however, with the pair's reactions towards the flat screen television. While Hermione was confused, but happy with the device, Draco was absolutely infuriated.

"How dare they place a lowly muggle item in _my _dormitory?" Draco exclaimed while kicking the leg of a black leather armchair. A Malfoy would _never_ touch something that had come into contact with _muggles._ Well, at least not until Draco learned how to work it…

Hermione woke up with a start and found that she had her cheek lying on a cold, tear-soaked gold satin pillow.

"Ugh," she grunted. Rubbing her eyes to clear her vision, Hermione looked up at the mahogany grandfather clock across from her. The time said 5:37 pm and she vaguely remembered the time being only 1:43 pm when she had run up to her room and collapsed on her massive four-poster bed.

"Oh, bloody hell!" She shrieked. Dinner was at quarter to six. She slept for nearly four hours just because she let her emotions escape from the tight hold she had managed to keep on them for so long. Throughout the entire summer, Hermione had managed to keep thoughts of the Battle of Hogwarts _almost_ completely out of her mind. That is, except for the nightmares…

Shaking these thoughts out of her mind, Hermione ran to her trunk that had made its way to the foot of her bed at some point. After quickly undressing, she took her Gryffindor robes from the trunk and slid them easily over black jeans and a yellow sweater. She was about the march out of her door and downstairs when she remembered that she had just been crying her eyes dry for the past few hours. With a quick glance at her reflection in the gilt-framed mirror on her wall, Hermione knew that she needed to eliminate the angry red blotches that were scattered across her face.

"Of course! Just what I need, more time to waste," she muttered angrily. She stalked over to the door that connected her room to the bathroom. Little did she know, her room wasn't the only one that was connected…

Draco stood in front of the bathroom mirror over the sink with his shirt unbuttoned and a razor in his hand. He was shaving carefully to prepare for the welcoming feast so that he looked a little more, well, welcoming than before. Suddenly, he heard a bang as the door opposite the one he had entered through was slammed open.

"Merlin's beard!" Draco exclaimed as he whirled around, wand at the ready, to face the scarlet-faced, tousle-haired young witch who had just entered the bathroom with a severely pissed-off expression.

Sneering, Hermione quickly pulled her eyes away from Draco's barely covered chest and snarled, "Oh, save it, Malfoy."

After recovering from the near heart attack that he just suffered, Draco laughed and said, "Oh, try not to stare, Granger. I can assume that it must be quite difficult."

_When you assume, you make an _ass _out of _you _and_ me, Hermione wanted to say, but decided against it to prevent further mockery. She definitely did not expect that Draco would have caught her staring. What could she say? She's a teenaged girl and he's a partially shirtless teenaged boy. It's natural for her to stare a little bit, even if she _did _hate every ounce of his being. Scoffing, Hermione stomped to the remaining, unoccupied sink and turned the faucet on as cold as it could go.

Just as Hermione had begun splashing the icy water on her face, Draco said, "And what, pray tell, are you doing?"

"Making myself look presentable for tonight's festivities, _Draco_," she replied in a sugar-sweet voice.

"Well, I don't think you're trying _nearly _hard enough as you need to, _Hermione_," Draco huffed. Hermione's name seemed to roll off of his tongue, despite how foreign it was to him.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione dragged a brush through her hair that had suddenly become much easier to tame over the summer. This angered Draco because it was one less thing that he could mock Hermione for. The witch was known among he and his friends for many things, and the wild bush that had been on top of her head was one of them.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin. Draco, what the bloody hell are you _staring _at?" Once these words were out of Hermione's mouth, Draco glared at her in frustration.

"I wasn't staring at _anything,_ Granger," he barked as he turned his back on her and stormed out of the bathroom.

_I don't think I will ever understand him,_ Hermione thought to herself. Taking a good, long look at herself in the bathroom mirror, Hermione decided that she looked well enough to go down to the feast.


	3. The Feast

**A/N: Thank you to those who favourited, reviewed, and signed up for story alerts!**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing you may recognize in this. I make no money off of this whatsoever.**

Chapter Three: **The Feast**

All but running down the stairs, Draco finally made it into the entrance hall of the school. The caretaker, Argus Filch, glared at Draco out of his one, fully-functioning right eye. Rumor has it; Filch went mad after the Battle of Hogwarts and nearly clawed his right eye out. Draco remembered this and nodded politely at the old man, despite the fact that Filch was a Squib. Filch ignored this with a growl and ushered Draco into the Great Hall where the houses were already organized, except for the first years, who were lined up at the front of the tables patiently waiting for the Sorting to start.

_Ah,_ Draco thought, _just in time. _As he made his way to the Slytherin table, he received the evil eye from Ron Weasel, the Boy Who Lived, and the miniature Weaslette. Jenny, he thought her name was. What shocked Draco was that Ron was sitting apart from the other two. Instead of sitting alone though, Ron sat with Lavender Brown who was grasping onto his hand, it appeared, as if she would blow away without it.

As he was returning their glares, Draco heard a familiar voice call out, "Oy! Over here, mate!" Focusing his attention on the Slytherin table, he grinned at the sight of his best friend, Blaise Zabini. The Italian was waving his arms wildly to gesture to the empty spot next to him.

"Bloody hell, it's good to see you!" Blaise said as he grasped Draco's hand and pumped it up and down.

Draco was just about to return the over-exultant greeting when he heard an achingly familiar voice to his right.

"Well, well, I hoped I'd never see your face again, Draco," said the beautiful Astoria Greengrass. Draco looked at her and flinched inwardly. The pair had dated over the summer at Astoria's father's suggestion. The Greengrass family was very supportive of the Malfoys, despite the latter party's involvement in the war. The Malfoys were doing whatever they could to increase their status in the magical world, despite the elder Malfoy, Lucius, being in Azkaban. Therefore, Draco was more or less obliged to help his family in any way possible, even if that meant having a romantic relationship with the unbelievably narcissistic Astoria Greengrass. When Draco Malfoy said that someone else was narcissistic, that proved something.

"Yes, well, my parents have encouraged me to continue with my studies whenever they owl me. I prefer to listen to their wishes, Astoria," Draco murmured.

Astoria sniffed at the air delicately, as if she smelt something foul. As she did this, she turned her head to the side and began staring at a sixth year, who Draco believed to be Steven Anthony. Astoria smiled at the young wizard and Steven grinned back. The two began chatting animatedly with each other and left Draco's attention to be occupied by Blaise.

"What in Merlin's name did you do to make Astoria hate you so much?" Blaise asked with an extremely perplexed expression on his face.

Draco rolled his eyes and replied, with a wicked glint in the cold chips of silver, "I dumped her."

Blaise chuckled and said, "Well, that's all fine and good, Drake, but why?"

"I got bored," Draco smirked. He had only been at school for just over five hours and he was already back to his old self.

After a few moments of silence, Draco heard a sigh that came from directly across the table. Draco raised his eyes from where he was twiddling his thumbs and saw pug-faced Pansy Parkinson glaring at him.

_Bloody hell,_ Draco thought. He had forgotten that Pansy and Astoria had grown extremely close over the past year. There were almost always together over the summer and Pansy was always drooling after Draco, as she had done since their first year at Hogwarts.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin," Draco moaned.

Hermione skidded into the Great Hall mere minutes after Draco. She smiled brilliantly when she saw that the room had been reconstructed to its former extravagance. The houses were seated together and the first years stood at the front of the four rows of tables, waiting to be sorted.

As soon as she faced the Gryffindor table, Hermione saw the faces of her best friends. She heard the laughter of Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. Unfortunately, she also saw Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown, sitting together in a very intimate position. Ron and Hermione broke up after dating for only two and a half weeks. Hermione thought that she and Ron were perfect for each other, but he always wanted more than what she wanted to give. Not to mention the exasperating fact that Ron _never _listened. Two days after the couple split, which was around mid-June, Lavender heard the news and practically leapt at the opportunity. Hermione was just thrilled to see that they were still going strong.

"'Mione!" Harry, Ginny, and Neville shouted, almost at once. Ginny jumped from her seat and threw her arms around Hermione's neck.

"Oh my goodness! I have missed you _so _much!" The redhead squeaked.

"Oh, Gin, I've missed you too!" Hermione replied earnestly. Looking up, she saw Harry making his way over to her as well with his arms spread open and a wide grin on his face.

"How have you been, 'Mione? We've all missed you so much," Harry sighed, pulling Hermione into a friendly hug.

"I've been alright, Harry. And thank you, but I don't understand you guys. It's only been two weeks!" Hermione cried. For all but the last two weeks of summer break, Hermione had stayed at the Burrow with Harry and the rest of the Weasley family. At the end of the third-last week of the break, Hermione received a letter from the Minister for Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. The letter informed Hermione that her parents had been located and that their memories had been restored and that everything that they had been so oblivious to was explained to them. So, Hermione spent her final two weeks before her final year of school with her parents at home where she really belonged.

"Well, 'Mione, we know, but _so _much had happened! Like the little fact that _Lav-Lav _and ickle Ronniekins have been together for nearly three months now. Oh, sorry…" Ginny groaned when she saw Hermione cringe.

"Just so you know, we're both with you," Harry clarified. "Ron's been a bloody git the past few weeks and he's been driving everyone mad, even Molly and Arthur," Harry finished, referring to Ron and Ginny's parents.

Hermione forced a laugh and sighed, "Well, I suppose I've been expecting this." She glanced over at Ron and saw him staring at her as Lavender planted kisses across his cheeks and down his neck. Hermione looked away and felt her face flush in anger. It just so happened that she managed to glance over at the Slytherin table at the right time to catch Draco staring at her intently, a look of utter confusion on his face. Hermione quickly looked back at Ginny just as the redhead grabbed her hand and pulled her to a seat.

"It's great to see you again, Hermione!" Neville exclaimed as Hermione sat down. To any uninformed person, one would think that Neville Longbottom was just an ordinary young wizard. However, Hermione and the rest of Hogwarts knew differently. Ever since the woman who tortured his parents was killed, Neville had become stronger. He was no longer the shy, insecure boy he used to be, but a brave, strong young man.

"Oh, goodness, Neville, you too!" Hermione smiled. She was just about to ask him how his summer went when Headmistress McGonagall stepped up in front of the school. Hermione's features curled into a pained expression as memories of Albus Dumbledore doing the exact same thing for six years flashed into her mind.

Before Hermione could get too wrapped-up in her sad thoughts, she directed her complete attention to the woman at the alter-type setup at the front of the room. McGonagall had her grey-brown hair pulled back in a tight bun which accentuated the severe lines of her aging face.

McGonagall looked around the room with a serene expression. "Hello, students, and welcome back to Hogwarts," she began. However, her words came to a halt when she was interrupted by a riotous outbreak of applause from the older students. McGonagall chuckled and said, "I must admit, it is a true delight to see so many familiar faces returning to this wonderful school. It is a pleasure as well to see so many new faces," she added, smiling down at the sixty first years in front of her."

Harry turned to Hermione and Ginny and said, "Look at all the little ones. There's about fifteen for each house, I'd wager!" He beamed as McGonagall announced that the sorting would begin soon.

Hermione glanced over at Ron again out of curiosity and saw him whispering into Lavender's ear. Lavender giggled and nuzzled her head into Ron's neck. Hermione whipped her head back to Harry and Ginny and made gagging motions to show that she was over it and that it didn't bother her. However, it would be a lie if she said that she was. In all honesty, it was slowly driving her mad each time she so much as saw them out of the corner of her eye. With extreme difficulty, she dragged her eyes back to the Headmistress and sighed. McGonagall was just finishing the welcoming speech that hadn't changed one bit over the first six years that Hermione had been at the school.

"…Just as a reminder, all students are to stay out of the Forbidden Forest and the restricted section of the Library, unless instructed otherwise by a professor. Ms. Patil, can you bring me the Sorting Hat now, please, dear?" Parvati Patil made her way up to the front of all of the tables with the ragged old hat and the stool for the students to sit on. The young witch placed the hat on top of the stool and made her way back to her seat. Catching Hermione's eye, Parvati grinned and waved. Hermione waved back half-heartedly, as she was not in such a good mood anymore.

Even as the Sorting Hat sang its own welcoming song, Hermione couldn't pay attention. She was too focused on everything that was wrong in her life that she didn't realize that she and Draco were staring into each other's eyes from across the room. After about three minutes though, Hermione snapped back into the real world and looked away from him. Apparently, she and Draco's stare down lasted a lot longer than three minutes because McGonagall was already making her way into the "C" last names of the Sorting.

"Creevey, Justin," she called out.

"I didn't know that there was _another _Creevey brother!" Ginny exclaimed in wonder. Hermione herself was surprised that it was not only Colin and Dennis in the Creevey family. Justin looked exactly like his brothers in the sense of the mousy brown hair and the tiny size. Despite his eldest brother's death in the Battle of Hogwarts, Justin looked extremely pleased to be in the same school as both of his brothers. Hermione saw Justin shoot Dennis, who was repeating his sixth year, a massive grin. Dennis smiled back, but Hermione could see that he was not his normal, over-excited self.

"Hm…" the Hat sighed, "this one is small, but he is brave. He has wit and brains, and he is selfless. I declare this child a true Gryffindor!" An eruption of cheers broke out from the Gryffindor table and Justin ran to sit with his brother, nearly tripping on the hem of his robes on his way. Hermione chuckled and shook her head. _Exactly like his brothers,_ she thought.

The majority of the rest of the Sorting went by in a blur, until Hermione took special notice of a little girl seated atop the stool. The girl had a little bit of extra weight on her frame and the Hat was pulled down over her mousy brown hair. The small girl had piercing blue eyes that shone out from under the brim of the Sorting Hat, which was in the middle of contemplating which house to put the little girl in.

"Hm…she has the wits of a Ravenclaw, but the courage of a Gryffindor. The brains of this one are absolutely filled with knowledge," the Hat said. The little girl blushed excitedly, and the Hat finally said, "I shall deem this one to be: GRYFFINDOR!"

For the umpteenth time during the Sorting, an eruption of cheers broke out from the Gryffindor table. The small witch hopped down from the stool and Hermione looked to the seat to the left of her. It was empty, so she stood up and waved the little girl to her side. The tiny brunette skipped over the stone floor and came to an abrupt stop in front of Hermione.

"You're Hermione Granger, aren't you? Why, you're one-third of the Golden Trio!" she squeaked excitedly.

"Yes, I am," Hermione replied, "and I'm Head Girl. Why don't you take a seat beside me and tell me what your name is?"

The little girl did as Hermione suggested, tossing her hair over one shoulder as she did so. "I'm Wendy Smithson, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she giggled. Hermione saw Wendy's bright blue eyes widen as she looked over Hermione's right shoulder. "Oh. My. Gosh. You're Harry Potter!" she squealed.

"Well, hello there," Harry smiled, "and just who might you be?" Hermione turned her attention back to the Sorting at the front of the room as Wendy introduced herself to Harry and Ginny. Sitting atop the stool now was a small girl with choppy raven-coloured bangs and pink streaks throughout her hair. The Hat came down just above her cobalt blue eyes which had a glint in them that just hinted at mischief.

"Oh, my," the Hat started, "this one has a wicked, conniving mind. So much so that she could be in Slytherin. However, her courageous heart and love of all living things completely overpower everything else. Therefore, I declare this one to be: Gryffindor!" Another explosion of cheers was audible coming from the aforementioned table. Unfortunately, a chorus of taunts and jeers from the Slytherin table nearly overwhelmed the more positive shouts. _Well, I suppose that they got their hopes up when the Hat called her "wicked" and "conniving," _Hermione thought. The young girl strutted over to the Gryffindor table and took a seat directly across from Hermione and Ginny.

"Hello," the young girl said icily. "I'm assuming that you're Head Girl, judging by your badge," she continued. She spoke with an air of superiority that was vaguely reminiscent of a certain blonde-haired young man.

As thoughts of the earlier encounter with Draco began surging through her mind, particularly of when Hermione had first entered the washroom, McGonagall continued with the Sorting. Even though Hermione saw all of the little faces at the front of the room, they did not even compete for position in her thoughts, as they were wholly centered on Draco. The way he had looked at her when she had first entered the room. The fact that he had been almost completely shirtless, showing off his perfectly sculpted torso-

"Pardon me, are you even listening to what I'm saying?" the newest Gryffindor addition demanded. The young girl's eyes were narrowed in frustration.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Yes, I'm Hermione Granger and yes, I am Head Girl," Hermione replied, flushing in embarrassment. _I can not believe that I was just thinking about him! _

"Yes, as I said, I figured as much," the girl snorted. "Well, as I said while you were off in _Dreamland_, I am Persephone Smithson."

Hermione's eyes widened fractionally. "So, that means that you and Wendy are…"

"Sisters," Wendy chimed in.

"Twins, to be exact," Persephone added. After she announced this, Hermione looked at the twins, _really _looked at them. The girls had the same blue eyes, the same upturned noses, and the same mouth shape.

"Oh! I see it now!" Hermione exclaimed. "But, Persephone is your hair naturally black? Your sister's is brown, so I can't help but wonder if you've dyed it."

Wendy snorted. "No, of course she didn't dye it. She got father's hair colour, and I got mother's. Not to mention the fast metabolism as well. However, she does have a special permanent colour charm on her hair that keeps the pink streaks in."

"They're not _pink._ They're _pomegranate_," Persephone growled.

Hermione chuckled, "All right, pomegranate it is, then. I have to ask, can you change the colour? Or is it always to remain that colour?"  
"Of course not! It's usually set to change colour according to my mood, but I have it locked on pomegranate for now," Persephone explained. Unfortunately, the mention of colour-changing hair had reminded Hermione of one Nymphadora Tonks. The image of Tonks' body laid next to her true love's, Remus Lupin, in the Great Hall drove Hermione near tears.

Suddenly, a terribly familiar voice drew Hermione's attention back to the current world.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, a look of oblivious happiness etched across his features.

Straightening up, Hermione replied, "Yes, Ronald?"

"Err…could you pass the mashed potatoes?"

Thrusting the bowl at the redhead, Hermione stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall while Ginny proceeded to smack her elder brother upside the head.


	4. The Letter

**A/N: **Sorry that it's been so long! I've been terribly busy with school and homework and various other things, including writing my very own story, that I simply haven't had the time to update…such is life, I suppose. Anyways, I am extremely grateful to those who have reviewed the last few chapters and also to those who have favourited this story and signed up for story alerts. I absolutely love you all to bits! I would love you all even more, however, if you reviewed a little more, if that's not too much to ask . So, to prevent you all from seeing any more of my horrendous written babble, enjoy this chapter. And remember, reviews equal a happy writer. Therefore, a happy writer equals more chapters.

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I own nothing that you may recognize.

CHAPTER FOUR:

"What I'm saying, Pansy, is that I couldn't care less! We've tried to be together before, but it didn't work!" Draco said exasperatedly. He was feigning interest in the conversation that he and the pug-faced girl were currently having; interest was the exact opposite of what he was in that moment, though.

"But Drakey," Pansy whined, "you've dumped Astoria. We're _perfect _for each other," she finished with a "seductive" pout.

"No, we're not," Draco said, with what was supposed to be a tone of finality. Blaise shot him a sympathetic glance from beside him as Pansy rambled on about how her mother could "set something up" between them. Draco was far too distracted to notice either, however, as he had just witnessed Hermione storm out of the Great Hall, looking terribly distressed. He even saw McGonagall give the girl a questioning glance, as the elder witch was not yet finished with the Sorting. He listened attentively to the remainder of the Sorting, clapping and cheering when it was appropriate. As soon as it was finished, he was surprised to see that the Headmistress was walking quickly to him.

"Draco," the witch sighed, "Miss Granger just left the Great Hall. Considering you are the Head Boy and she needs to be here to guide the first years to their dormitories, could you go and retrieve her?" McGonagall finished with a pleading look etched across her features. Pansy snickered from beside the Headmistress and Draco glared at her.

"Of course, Headmistress," he said as he forced a smile. He stood up from his chair and walked swiftly to the double doors. Pushing them open and stepping into the foyer, he saw Hermione a short distance away. "Granger!" he shouted at her retreating back. When she refrained from turning around, he called out, "Hermione!"

At this, the young witch whipped around with her wand in hand. She pointed it at Draco in a way that was clearly meant to look menacing, but it only looked pathetic due to the tear tracks down her cheeks and the sobs that were escaping her throat. Draco sighed quietly. Taking out his own wand, he pointed it at Hermione and muttered, "_Expelliarmus_," causing the latter's wand to fly from her grasp.

Hermione scoffed loudly. "Really, Malfoy? Do you want me not only alone, but unprotected as well to torture me further? I've had more than enough torment in the past few hours."

Draco chuckled lightly. "Not because of me, Granger. Headmistress requested for me to bring you back into the Great Hall to guide the first years to their dorms. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to take the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. You can have the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors."

"My pleasure," Hermione snorted. She stalked over the stone floor to retrieve her wand. With barely a glance in his direction, Hermione stalked right past Draco back into the Great Hall.

As soon as Hermione dropped back into her seat, Ginny gave her best friend's hand a comforting squeeze as the former glanced at Ron with a look of disdain.

"Are you quite alright?"

Hermione whipped around in surprise to see both of the Smithson girls staring at her with concern. Hermione smiled slightly at their worry, "Yes, I'm fine." She slowly began to pick at her food so that she would at least be moving through this already tortuous day with something in her stomach.

After about twenty minutes, McGonagall rose once again from her seat at the very front of the Hall. "Alright, students. It is now time for bed. Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy will be leading all first years to their dormitories." When they heard Hermione's name in the same sentence as Draco's, Harry and Ginny turned around to gape at her. Hermione gave a small shrug and got up from her seat and gestured for the Smithson girls to follow. The two first years rose in synchrony and tiptoed over to the Head Girl. Draco reluctantly got up from his seat as well to join Hermione.

"Alright," the pale wizard sighed. Then, with much more volume, he shouted, "First years over here, please!" Every first year in the Hall scuttled over to the two Heads. "Okay. I will be guiding the Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor houses will be following Hermione." The mentioned witch's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She was shocked that Draco had referred to her as "Hermione" as opposed to "Granger" or "The Head Girl". Even though it was such a slight indication, she could tell that Draco was beginning to change.

Draco sauntered down the hallway to the Head dormitory, having finished with guiding the first years. He walked up to the portrait that covered the entrance into the common room. Unfortunately, he realized that he did not know the password that would allow him access to his current home. "Shit," he cursed under his breath. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. _Granger _must _know the password_, he thought as he turned back down the corridor.

Hermione sighed as she rounded the corner that would bring her into the corridor directing her to the Head's dormitory. She looked down at her feet as she walked and sighed in contentment. She was done with her Head duties for the night, and she was looking forward to returning to her dormitory and resting.

As her mind wandered to thoughts of how remarkably terrible her first day back at Hogwarts had been. First, Draco was her fellow head, which was bound to cause issues in the future. Second, it appeared that Ron had become even more of a mentally-challenged imbecile over the summer. With this, images of the previously mentioned wizard and his new girlfriend eating each other's faces in the Great Hall entered her mind as well. She almost groaned in frustration; however, this groan was cut off short when she collided directly into someone's chest.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attent—" Draco broke off, realizing just who he was apologizing to. The petite witch who he had just crashed had eyes that had grown to the size of dinner plates. He had obviously startled her quite a bit.

Hermione looked up at the tall young man with horror in her eyes. "Right, sorry, me neither. I'll just be going now," the Head Girl stuttered. However, as she was trying to walk past Draco, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. As soon as his skin brushed hers, it seemed as if an electric shock traveled all the way up her arm. Draco's eyes widened as he glanced down at their connecting flesh; he dropped her wrist immediately, as if she had burned him.

"Actually, Granger, it just so happens that I was looking for you," Draco smirked.

Hermione sighed. "What is it, Malfoy?"

"Well, see, I arrived at my, er, _our_ dormitory, intending to go inside. Then, I realized that I do not have the knowledge of the required password," he explained. "I suppose that _you _know what it is?" he finished, a look of expectance on his face.

Hermione's eyes sparked mischievously. "Right. I do happen to know it," she said with a smirk that could rival any Slytherin's. She almost skipped over to the portrait hole.

The elegant woman in the portrait looked to Hermione and sighed, "Password?"

"Of course," Hermione smiled. "_Golden Lion_."

"What?" Draco exclaimed. "Why is it 'Golden Lion'? The Headmistress obviously favors her own house, doesn't she?"

"Actually, Malfoy, we were supposed to agree on a password _together_ upon our second entrance into the room. Only one of us was supposed to say something. I'm assuming that you didn't try saying anything?" Hermione giggled, crawling through the portrait hole.

"EXCUSE ME?" Malfoy roared, following the witch into the dorm. "You mean to tell me that _I _could have decided on the password? How the bloody hell did you know that we chose the password, anyways?"

Hermione snorted. "Percy Weasley, one of the elder Weasley children, was Head Boy a few years ago. He always talked about how the first thing that he and his current girlfriend Audrey had agreed on was the Head's dorm password. They've been together ever since," she finished.

"Fascinating," Draco sighed. "Change the bloody password back," he growled.

"You can't _change _the password, Draco!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll be in my room." That said, he stormed up the grand staircase and slammed his bedroom door.

Hermione watched Draco stomp up the stairs and scoffed. "Child," she muttered to herself. Just then, there was a rapping at one of the windows. Looking over, she saw a beautiful grey owl perched on the outside ledge. Opening the window to let the bird in, it immediately dropped the black envelope that it held in its beak onto the floor. As soon as Hermione picked the letter up and saw that it was addressed to her, the owl flew right back out the window. She read the return address on the envelope aloud: "Ministry of Magic: Grief Division."

Hermione tore open the envelope and read the letter inside: 

_Dear Miss Hermione Jean Granger,_

_ We at the Ministry of Magic are terribly sorry to deliver this news to you. At approximately three o' clock in the afternoon today, there was a break-in at your residence. Once the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic were notified of this break-in, they arrived at your home and discovered that the forced entrance into your home was, in fact, caused by magic._

_ Again, we are grieved to inform you of this. There were two bodies found inside your home, both of muggles._

"Oh, God, no," Hermione barely managed to say, reading the next sentence.

_ These two bodies were identified by a neighbor to be those of your parents, Dr. and Mrs. Granger._

_ Although their cause of death is still in the process of being identified, it is suspected that both of your parents were hit with the Killing Curse. We are withholding any further information, as to who is assumed to be the witch or wizard who cast the spell._

_ When you are available, please contact us with information pertaining to when you will be able to plan the funerals._

_Sincerely,_

_The Minister of Magic,_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

"No, no, no, no, no," Hermione chanted repeatedly out loud. "Oh, God, why?" she screamed, dropping to her knees on the floor. She laid her cheek on the stone floor as the sobs wracked her body.

**A/N: **God, I feel absolutely terrible for writing something that sad. However, this will _possibly _cause Draco to go a little out of character in the next chapter, but I haven't determined that yet. I am in the process of writing the next chapter, and I sincerely appreciate all of you sticking through this story. I'm very sorry that I've been updating so little!

Please, please, please remember that reviewing is not mandatory, but it is encouraged!


	5. Comfort?

**A/N: **Thanks for visiting again! In this chapter, we see a little change in character, and someone finds comfort in someone else that is a little shocking. Last chapter, I decided to "break the mold" of the extremely clichéd story that I am writing and I made a little plot twist at the end (I haven't read any Dramione stories where Hermione's parents die, just saying). I love you all and I admire the fact that you waste your time reading my fic. XD

I just want to take a little special time to thank some very special people who have given me the drive to actually continue writing. Elena0017, pirateKitten11893, ncislover1111, personofnoconcern3000, October103, Dakuenjeru, , Science-Fantasy93 ; I love you all for reviewing! , Lrose000 Thank you for favouriting! HisMinx, MiDniGhtW0lF15, Sleeplessdream50, water17fire17, XandraLynne, thanks to all of you for signing up for alerts! I'm going to try and update much more often now because I'm just finishing exams! Like I've said: Reviews = Love.

Also, please read the author's note at the end! Even if it does sort of have spoilers, I promise it's nothing huge! 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing that you may recognize. In fact, if I did, Dramione would be real, Blaise and Ginny would be together, and Fred would not be dead. Just a thought.

"Bloody witch," Draco muttered to himself, pacing the floor of his new room. He had recently refrained from saying the words "mud blood" as of late, as his mother wished for him to stop. She had surprisingly befriended a few muggleborn witches and wizards right after the Battle of Hogwarts.

Thinking of muggleborns made Draco think of Hermione. Truthfully, he had been thinking about the "Golden Trio" all summer. He had always envied that group, for some reason that he couldn't quite identify. He had actually been contemplating apologizing to the group for all of the horrid things he had done to them in the past, but then Granger went and changed the password without telling him.

Flinging himself down onto his massive green, silver, and black bed, he pulled one of the silk pillows over his face and groaned into it. He was going to have to go downstairs at some point and apologize for what he had done. As his mother taught him, it is important to make amends so that you may have a better and brighter future.

Draco was just about to leave his room when he heard a pained scream from downstairs. Snatching his wand from the table, he ran outside his door and flew down the stairs. He looked around the room and could not see any apparent damage, but he heard sobbing from over near the windows. Approaching cautiously, he found Hermione curled in on herself, crying.

"H-Hermione?" Draco inquired stupidly, crouching beside the girl. Despite being the womanizer that he was, he had zero experience with crying girls. "Are you alright?"

Without saying a word, Hermione pushed a crumpled, tear-stained letter across the floor to him. "R-read it," she hiccupped.

Draco did as she asked, and he bit his lip, contemplating what to do next. He was literally shocked that the Minister was so insensitive at the end of the letter. "_When you are available, please contact us with information pertaining to when you will be able to plan the funerals_" was definitely a consoling way to sign off on a letter like that. He looked down at Hermione who was gazing at him helplessly with tear-filled eyes. Not knowing what else to do, he placed his hand on the witch's back and slowly rubbed circles between her shoulder blades, something that his mother would always do to calm him down.

Gasping for breath, Hermione flung herself into Draco's arms, throwing him off balance and sending both of them down onto the floor. "I'm so-o-orry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"It's alright," Draco sighed, moving into a sitting position with Hermione in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered comforting words. He knew that she was staining his robes with tears, but he didn't care. He had no idea what was coming over him, but some small part of his mind was telling him that he should comfort the trembling girl in his arms.

Hermione was still shaking after over an hour of sitting in Draco's arms. The sky outside of the window was a dark blue, so Hermione figured that it was about seven or eight o' clock at night. "Draco?" she whispered.

"Hm?" Draco murmured, looking down at the young witch in his arms.

"I…apologize for naming the password without your consent," she said.

"Mmm. You don't have to. In fact, I'm the one who should apologize, and not just for earlier today either. Before that, though, how are you…feeling?" he inquired, pulling back to look at her.

Hermione cleared her throat, knowing that it would probably be thick and unclear from her seemingly endless tears earlier. "Terrible. They were the only family I had. I-I have no one else," she said, a new wave of tears washing over her.

"Come on," Draco sighed. He cradled her against his chest and carried her over to one of the couches. He placed her down on one of the cushions and sat down next to her. She leaned into his side immediately and he responded by placing his arm around her shoulders.

"W-Why are you being so nice to me?" Hermione asked, her voice slightly muffled by the pale boy's chest.

Draco hesitated for a moment. "Well, when I was in my room, I was…thinking. I was thinking about everything that I ever did to you since first year. It's always been on my mind, actually. I feel absolutely awful. I guess that what I'm trying to say is: Hermione, I know that I've been a bloody git to you all throughout our schooling, and I know that I don't deserve it, but do you think that you could find it in your heart to forgive me?" Draco finished, looking deep into Hermione's eyes. "Of course, I completely understand if you don't want to," he quickly assured her.

Hermione gaped at Draco. "Merlin, I never thought you'd actually apologize," she laughed softly. "Of course I forgive you Mal-Draco," she sighed. She wasn't completely sure, but she could have sworn that when she looked up at him, he grinned, but as soon as she checked again, it was gone.

"I'm sorry that I chose such a terrible time to say that, though," Draco sighed.

"Don't be. To be honest, it made me feel a little bit better." After Hermione said this, the pair sat in silence for a little while until Hermione spoke again. "Do you want to know what the worst part is, though?"

"Hmm?" Draco replied.

"The fact that they would put such a bloody insensitive message at the end of the letter! It's infuriating, especially since Kingsley is supposed to be a 'friend'!" Hermione exclaimed angrily. "I would think that he would understand how hard it is to lose family and that he could at least _empathize_!"

"I understand," Draco said quietly.

"Do you?"

"Yes. Well, I can try at least. I've lost aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, but I can't imagine the pain of losing one's parents."

Hermione whimpered slightly.

Draco looked down at her sympathetically. "Well, come on," he said, suddenly rising from his spot on the couch. He offered her his hand and when she looked at it, surprised, he replied, "I'll make you a tea." Hermione grasped his hand to pull herself off of the couch, but as soon as their fingers made contact, Draco sucked in his breath when a shock ran up his arm. He dropped her hand as if it had burned him. "Right. Well, I just remembered that I have to write to my…cousin." With that said, Draco turned on his heel and marched right back up the stairs again.

Hermione shook her head in frustration and walked over to the kitchen and started making tea for herself.

**A/N: **Very short chapter, I know. I'm terribly sorry, but I'm all work and no play this week as I'm trying to do my best on my exams. Since this chapter was sort of all over the place, I'd like to ask all of you for your opinion on something: **Did I portray Draco correctly, even though it was EXTREMELY out of character? **Please, please, PLEEEEASE answer that if you review. In the next chapter, Hermione will tell her friends what happened (as in about her parents, not Draco!). Ron will most likely continue being a massive jerk (I don't care. I'll send him to Pigfarts, maybe (; ). Blaise will start to take notice of Ginny, and Draco will be all sulk pretty much.

I love you all! Please review! If you do, I'll give you Red Vines! 3


	6. When Blaise Met Ginny

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing you may recognize.

Hermione showed up at the Gryffindor common room entrance and knocked three times on the portrait frame.

"Don't knock so hard!" the Fat Lady exclaimed, pushing her shoulders back as she gave Hermione a look that could have made her blood boil.

"I need to speak with my friends," Hermione replied emotionlessly, holding the now crumpled letter from the Ministry in her left fist. The Fat Lady rolled her eyes just as the portrait hole opened from the inside. Hermione put on a fake smile as Seamus Flannigan opened the door.

"Was that you knockin', Hermione?" Seamus asked.

"Yes, Seamus it was me. Are Harry and Ginny in?" she asked politely. Seamus looked at her face intently, most likely noticing her blotchy skin and puffy eyes, but he seemed to decide not to say anything about it.

"Yeah, they're in here. Come on in," Seamus replied, holding the portrait open for Hermione to pass him. Harry and Ginny looked up as the portrait hole shut with a load creak.

Ginny smiled automatically when she recognized that it was her best friend at the door, but her face fell when she noticed the red splotches all over Hermione's face. "'Mione, what's wrong?" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around Hermione's neck. The latter witch returned the hug and buried her face into Ginny's hair. "Did Malfoy do something to you?" Ginny asked, a hand on each side of her friend's face. Her expression turned vicious when she said, "My Bat Bogey Hex has improved over the past few years, you know. I can put it to _very _good use."

"Gin, I wish it were Malfoy," Hermione replied earnestly. She broke into a new wave of tears as soon as Harry reached her and embraced her as tightly as Ginny had seconds ago.

"'Mione, what is it? What happened?" Harry questioned, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. Hermione wordlessly held the crumpled piece of parchment out to him so that he could read the words that had just destroyed her life. "Oh, no. Oh, 'Mione, I'm so sorry," Harry said sincerely, wrapping his arms around Hermione once again as sobs erupted from her small frame.

Ginny shot Harry a questioning glance and in answer, he passed the letter to her as well. A mix of emotions flitted across the young witch's face, ranging from sadness, anger, and finally settling on concerned. Ginny pressed her hand to her mouth and looked at Hermione with tear-filled eyes. "Oh, Hermione," the red head sighed, joining Harry in embracing their friend. Hermione continued to sob, so the couple pulled her to the couch in front of the fireplace, allowing her to curl into a ball and find safety in the comfort of the embrace of her best friends.

Draco was lounging around on the couch in the Heads' common room, wallowing in self-pity. He couldn't believe that he had actually _comforted _Granger! He was obviously going insane, considering he was born to hate the blood that ran through Hermione's veins. He was thinking of trying to get some sleep, but then there was a knock at the portrait hole. Draco got up and walked quickly over to the opening and pushed open the portrait. Blaise smiled up at Draco and said, "Hey, mate. Thought I'd pop by for a visit and see if Hermione's caused any trouble," Draco nearly flinched at her name, "Are you alright, Drake?" Draco knew that there was no bad blood between Blaise and Hermione, and he could obviously trust his own best friend. Blaise was never one to gossip much, anyway.

"Well, I'm alright, I suppose. I've got to talk to you about something, though. Come on in," Draco said.

Blaise crossed the threshold of the common room and whistled under his breath. "Bloody hell, mate. They really went all out for you." Blaise circled the room, eventually making his way over to the flat-screened television. "What, in the name of Merlin, is THAT?"

Draco snickered. "I've been trying to figure that out myself, actually. I'd wager it's some sort of muggle device."

Blaise shook his head in confusion. "So, how's Granger's presence treating you?" he asked as he wandered over to look through the fridge.

Draco heaved a sigh. "She's too bloody emotional, mate. She's cried _twice _just since we've been in the room together!"

Blaise's head shot up from the refrigerator door. "Merlin, what have you done to her?"

"It wasn't me!" Draco exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. After a second's contemplation, he continued, "Well, maybe the first time was my fault, but she _was _upset already before that!"

"And the second time?" Blaise inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, that was definitely not my fault. I was up in my room for a bit, and I heard a scream come from downstairs. I came running down with my wand out, thinking that something had come into the dorm, I suppose. Instead, I found her curled up in a ball on the floor. She showed me a letter that she got from the Ministry. Her parents died," Draco finished, a frown etched between his brows.

"That's terrible," Blaise replied, "but why would the Ministry be the ones to let her know?"

"Well, after reading the letter, I'd wager that they're suspecting foul play. It could have been muggles, or it could've been dark wizards. She has to contact them again with funeral plans," Draco explained.

Blaise sighed, opening his mouth to say something else. At just that moment, the portrait hole opened and in walked Hermione, with Ginny right by her side. Blaise's jaw dropped at the sight of the young witch accompanying her obviously distraught friend. Blaise shot both of the girls a wide grin and walked over to greet them. "Hello, ladies. I'm Blaise Zabini," the Italian said, sticking his hand out in greeting.

Ginny stared at his outstretched hand and gently placed hers in it. "Ginny Weasley," the redhead said.

"_Lovely_ to meet you," Blaise said, swooping down to press a kiss onto Ginny's knuckles as the young witch let out a girlish giggle.

Draco rolled his eyes at his friend's obvious flirtation and settled his gaze on Hermione, whose eyes were still red-rimmed. As soon as his eyes reached the bushy-haired girl's, Hermione looked right at him. The latter's cheeks flared into a bright shade of pink, and she looked away to whisper into Ginny's ear. Ginny glared at Draco after whatever Hermione said, and said, "Hello, ferret."

"Good day to you too, Weaselette," Draco shot back. Ginny rolled her eyes in response, and shot Blaise a flirtatious wink before she and Hermione walked off to climb the stairs to Hermione's bedroom. As soon as the two young wizards could hear the door close, Blaise turned to Draco with a grin.

"Bloody hell. I never would've thought that a Weasley could be so…_hot_," he said, a lustful glint in his eyes.

"Don't even think about it, Blaise. She's dating Pothead," Draco replied, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, since she's met me, I don't think that will last for much longer."

Hermione stalked into her room with Ginny at her heels. Making sure that the redhead had shut the door, Hermione whipped around, eyes blazing. "What the _hell_ were you doing?" she shouted.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, feigning innocence.

"You were just openly _flirting _with Blaise Zabini! May I remind you that you are dating _Harry Potter_? Also known as 'the boy who you have been in love with since your first year here'?" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

Ginny merely scoffed and crossed her arms. She then began circling Hermione's room, looking at everything in interest. "Ooh!" she exclaimed excitedly, picking up a vial of perfume and dabbing it on her wrists. "What did you do to get here Hermione? Whatever it is, you need to teach me how to do it!"

"I've kept my grades up and kept my mind off of silly things like boys," Hermione retorted, still upset with her best friend.

"Listen to you! 'Silly things like boys'! Spoken like a true prude!" Ginny retorted, clapping her hand over her mouth as soon as she realized what she had said.

"How dare you?" Hermione shouted. Then, she ran to her bed and picked up one of the satin decorative pillows, promptly hitting Ginny over the head with it. "I. Am. Not. A. Prude!" Hermione screeched, punctuating each word with a smack from the pillow. To fight back, Ginny snatched another pillow from the bed and began hitting Hermione back. When the girls both realized how immature and silly it was for them to be having a pillow fight at their age, they erupted into giggles. It was at just that moment that the door to Hermione's room flew open. Both girls immediately stopped what they were doing to discover both Blaise and Draco standing in the doorway, both with their wands out and shocked expressions on their faces.

"Wow. Pillow fight," Blaise smirked.

"What the_ hell _is wrong with you two?" Draco exclaimed, not nearly as impressed. "It sounded like you two were being attacked!"

"_Relax_, Malfoy. We were only having a bit of fun," Hermione huffed crossing her arms over her chest.

"The pair of you were screeching like ban—" Draco was cut off abruptly as soon as Ginny lobbed her pillow at the pale wizard's head. Draco just stood there, flabbergasted, as Blaise, Hermione, and Ginny burst out laughing.

"Oh, my God, your face!" Hermione shrieked, doubling over at the stomach. Draco couldn't understand how the witch's mood could have taken such an abrupt turn. Draco grabbed Blaise's arm and yanked him out of the room. The two girls were still howling with laughter, even as the boys made their way downstairs.


	7. Another Letter

**A/N: **So, I apologize for the wait, and for the terrible excuse for words that was last week's chapter, but it was more of a filler than anything else. I _will _try harder to get longer chapters up from now on, I promise. Thank you again to all of you who have actually stuck through with this story, as it is only your reviews, favourites, and alerts that have kept this story going. I love you all!

~Chapter Seven~

Draco ran down the onyx steps with Blaise on his heels, the latter still panting with laughter. "I can't believe her! I swear I'm going to…" Draco broke off, unable to think of anything worth wasting his breath on.

"Going to what, Drake?" Blaise asked, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "It was only a pillow. Besides, they were two girls having a _pillow fight_. Do you have any idea how many times I've dreamt of something like that happening?" Blaise exclaimed.

Draco scoffed. "Oh, please. Quit thinking about your bloody hormones for one minute, _I beg you_." At Blaise's questioning glance, Draco continued on. "I think that something's wrong with me," he said slowly, his brows knitted together in confusion.

"Really? Oh, well, I haven't been thinking that since I met you," Blaise said sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be such a bloody prat," Draco snarled. "Can I finish what I was saying?" Blaise sighed and nodded, so Draco went on to continue his explanation. "As I told you earlier, Granger got an owl about her parents dying. She was…broken, to say the least. She was sobbing, and screaming, and saying things like, 'Oh, God no'. I didn't know what else to do, so I…held her, and tried to make her stop crying, and what the _hell _are you sniggering about, you prick?" Draco exclaimed, seeing Blaise shaking with barely concealed laughter.

Blaise just shook his head, and said, "Oh, God. You _fancy _her! Draco Malfoy, pureblood prince, falling for the muggleborn Granger! That's rich, that really is, mate." Draco drew back his right leg, about to aim a kick at his friend's shins when the clock hanging from the wall in the common room chimed nine times. "Shit," Blaise said under his breath. "Gotta go, mate. I'm going to miss the bloody curfew. Have fun with Granger," he winked as he walked towards the portrait hole.

~Break~

"Oh, well, that was fun," Ginny sighed, collapsing into the large, red, winged armchair beside Hermione's bed.

"Uh-huh," agreed Hermione. "Gin, it's nine o'clock. Shouldn't you be heading back to your dorm? I am Head Girl, so I can't allow you to stay out past curfew," Hermione said with a wink.

Ginny giggled. "Yeah, I'd best be going. I'll be back again tomorrow!" she promised, hugging Hermione and dashing out the door. She skirted around Draco as he reached the top of the stairs and skipped down the stairs.

Draco looked at Hermione with a pale eyebrow raised. "May I ask _why _you threw a pillow at my head? I, for one, felt that it was a little unnecessary."

Hermione crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. "You could do with a little fun. You know, let loose sometime?"

Draco scoffed. "I can't really comprehend how a pillow to the head could constitute as fun. Though you and Jenny were giggling like third years on their first trip to Hogsmeade."

"It's _Ginny_, and that was our way of having fun, if you must know. Speaking of, we're supposed to be helping plan the trip. It's in a week, but it would be better if we got the plans out of the way before we get assigned anything. Would you care to meet me in the library tomorrow after classes?" Hermione replied. Frankly, she was a little surprised at herself that even something like that came out without any insults directed towards her fellow Head.

Draco looked slightly surprised as well. "Er…I suppose. My last class is Charms, so I assume I'll meet you after?"

"Actually, my last class is Charms as well. We could just meet in the library?" Hermione replied. Draco nodded in confirmation. _Well, he's being very cooperative_, thought Hermione. "Alright. I've got to bathe. I'll see you, I suppose," she said, making her way over to the bathroom door.

"See you," Draco replied, watching as the witch shut the door.

As soon as the door closed, Hermione rested her head against it for a moment. She was a little shocked that he had agreed to her plans without demanding that it followed his own plans. Maybe, just maybe, Draco Malfoy was changing. If he was, Hermione was going to be the one to experience it firsthand.

~Break~

Draco ran a hand through his platinum hair as he walked towards his bedroom. Maybe Blaise was right, but only a little. He definitely didn't feel as…hostile towards Hermione as he used to. There was also the fact that her looks had improved drastically as well. Her hair was no longer frizzy and untamed, but her curls now cascaded smooth and wavy down her back. There was also the change in her body; she now had curves where she definitely didn't before, and her clothes clung to her figure in exactly the right places…Draco shook his head and mentally scolded himself for thinking such things.

"Damn it, Draco, get a hold of yourself," he said aloud. He flopped down onto his emerald green and silver bed and grabbed a decorative pillow, squishing it between his hands. He couldn't help but wonder how tomorrow's meeting with Hermione would go. Would they argue? Would they be able to agree and be civil with each other? Draco could only wait until after Charms the next day to figure everything out…

~Break~

Hermione slid down the door to the stone floor of the bathroom as soon as she got in. She could not, no matter how hard she tried, figure out why she had depended on Draco as soon as she got the news of her parents' death. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes at the thought of the dreadful letter, but she held them back. _Funny that I can hold them back when I'm alone, but not when I'm in front of my supposed worst enemy_.

Hermione groaned aloud. Strangely enough, she didn't even think of Draco as that anymore. She hadn't since she had seen him after the war. There was something…indescribably different about him. Perhaps it was the way that he didn't slick his hair back in that god-awful style he used to wear it in. Maybe it was the way that his silver eyes looked so much more inviting and…warm than they used to. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that he had actually comforted Hermione when she broke down. Hermione noticed that she could actually _smell _Draco on her clothes, her hair, and her skin. He smelled of musk and what was probably an insanely expensive cologne. When she was seated in Draco's lap on the couch, his breath would occasionally waft over her face, causing her to breathe in peppermint and pumpkin juice. She lifted up the neck of her robes and took in a deep breath; his scent clung heavily to the fabric, alluring and intoxicating. Her eyes wandered to the stained glass windows of the room, and she realized how dark it was outside. She was supposed to be having a bath before bed.

Hermione got up from the floor and stripped her robes off; it was relieving to be free of the heavy fabric. She turned one of the multiple faucets on the bath to full power and maximum heat and she jumped back, startled, when all off the faucets turned on at the same time. Not only that, but many different colours of soap quickly filled the bathroom with their scent as large amounts of the liquid shot out from a faucet at the very top of a large fountain-like contraption in the middle of the bath. Hermione smiled, already feeling herself start to relax.

~Break~

Well over an hour later, Hermione stepped out of the giant bathtub. She grabbed one of the black towels hanging from the rack nearest the tub and wrapped herself in it. As soon as her feet touched the floor, all of the water rushed to multiple drains in the bottom of the tub. Hermione smiled to herself in wonder and picked up her clothes to walk back to her room to get changed.

When she made her way into her room and closed the door, she saw a grey owl sitting on the outer ledge of her window. She rushed to the window and unlatched it. The owl did not move, so she reached over and untied the letter from its foot. She looked at the seal on the letter in shock: the envelope was closed with the official Hogwarts seal. _Strange_…Hermione thought to herself. She looked up when she felt a sudden breeze, which turned out to be the owl's feathers as it flew away into the night. _Also strange…they usually wait for payment…_

Hermione sat down on the edge of the bed and opened the envelope to read the letter:

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_ I am very sorry to hear of the passing of your parents, Dr. and Mrs. Granger. I received a letter from Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt informing me of the incident mere hours ago, and he stated that he had informed you earlier still._

_ I understand that the grieving process is a very difficult one, and I will be available whenever you may request me if you require guidance. _

_ However, I ask that you come to my office tomorrow before your classes to discuss your plans for coming to terms with this tragedy, and to discuss the possibility of any time off of school that you may need. I will inform Professor Slughorn that you will be late arriving to his Potions class tomorrow._

_Thank you,_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

Hermione drew in a shaky breath and suddenly noticed that there were tears running down her cheeks. Instead of wiping them away, she laid back on the pillows on her bed and let them fall freely, thinking of nothing but how much she was hurting and how alone she was.


End file.
